Separation Anxiety and Learning
May 12, 2016
Separation anxiety, like other forms of stress, is normal in new situations. It often kicks in around 2–3 years old, when toddlers start to experience themselves as separate from you. So even though your infant showed no fear of strangers, your preschooler may express trepidation at the sight of his babysitter if he knows you are leaving.
Revamp Your Family's Snack Habits
May 5, 2016
Starchy snacks deliver plenty of salt and sugar, which humans crave, and they are also heavily marketed, readily available, and easy to serve. Lots of kids grow up eating them because they are so pervasive, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Physical vs. Digital Books
April 28, 2016
For older students, the benefits of digital books are undeniable. Backpacks are lighter, textbooks are easily updated, and materials can be catered to individual student needs. But what about younger children? Do digital books offer them anything?
Nurturing Secure Attachment
April 21, 2016
Children need a connection to their parents and caregivers —known as “attachment”—to grow and thrive. Experts consider infants and toddlers “securely attached” if they can use their parent or primary caregiver as a secure base to return to as they explore their environment.
Outdoor Play Essentials
April 14, 2016
Everyone agrees that outdoor play is a natural and essential element in a child’s growth and development. The benefits go beyond supporting physical and healthy development to helping children learn skills in problem solving, creative thinking, and collaboration.
Enriching Your Child's Home Life
April 7, 2016
To enrich something means to fill it with desirable ingredients. For example, enriched soil contains nutrients and nitrogen to help plants grow. So what are the ingredients in an enriched home? Mountains of expensive, fancy toys? Nope. If your goal is to promote early childhood learning and development, you don’t have to be “rich” at all to make your home enriched.
Staying Present for Your Child
March 31, 2016
Your loving attention is one of the most important things you can give your child. And as you transition from doing things for your child (or your boss!) to sitting down and being with your child, your mind may need time to adjust..
Self-Regulation and Impulse Control in Young Children
March 24, 2016
We act in response to the sensations and feelings that arise from our brain's alarm systems. This is known as “self-regulation,” a capacity that evolves as kids gain the ability to recognize sources of anxiety or discomfort, detect the source of that discomfort, and figure out how to address it. In infancy, a baby is helpless to meet his needs of thirst and hunger by himself; he relies on you to nurse him or give him a bottle..
I'm Confused—is Competition Good or Bad?
March 17, 2016
There are many outlets for competition in life. Some are woven into the fabric of our being, such as competing with a close sibling. Some are inherent in growing up. We all have to prove ourselves on one stage or another, be it the classroom or the workplace.
How Much Screen Time Should My Child Have?
March 10, 2016
Sometimes it might seem impossible to peel ourselves from our computers! Whether we’re engrossed in answering urgent work emails, reading our favorite blog, or just staying up-to-date on the latest breaking news, computers and other gadgets have become ingrained in our daily routines. But how much is too much? And are there any good rules about screen time for children?
How Do Children Learn to Read?
March 3, 2016
Reading is a complex skill that begins to develop at birth and usually comes to fruition in the early elementary school years. No two children are on the same schedule for learning to read. Providing the opportunity to develop reading skills is critical, and fun. Here are suggestions for nurturing your child to become a happy, healthy reader.
What Activities Support Brain Development?
February 25, 2016
Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do with and for your children that can improve both their physical and mental health while supporting brain development. One recent study found that there was a positive relationship between the volume of the hippocampus and having supportive, nurturing parents.
What's the Connection Between Exercise and Learning?
February 18, 2016
More and more studies are showing that improving your physical fitness can also bolster your mental strength. While many news reports have focused on the benefits of exercise for physical health, let's take a closer look at claims showing that working out can tone up your mental muscles as well.